Case Study

Figure 5-20 illustrates the RomaNet network. RomaNet is a large enterprise organization with several remote (SOHO) offices, a few campus locations, and a data center (hosted at the corporate headquarters).

Figure 5-20. RomaNet Case Study Topology

The remote offices deployed Ethernet and support a small number of users without a need for network redundancy. If this office were to go offline for example, lose WAN access there is minimal impact to the enterprise network.

The campus locations also deployed Ethernet, but with more users requiring more bandwidth. Fast Ethernet and GigE are deployed here with a Fast/GigE implementation, and these bandwidth needs are met with a Fast/GigE Ethernet Switch providing the campus connectivity, including connectivity to the routers for WAN access. Because the campus locations have higher connectivity requirements, these sites are dual-homed to the WAN with the deployment of two access lines and routers.

The corporate headquarters site deployed a FDDI LAN in support of the organization's database server farms, network management, and mainframe applications. The FDDI LAN is used because of the organization's high availability and redundancy requirements of the dual-attached LAN servers and workstations. The HQ location, like the campus locations, is dual-homed to the WAN, providing redundancy to the WAN.